farming

If you want to know how Monsanto gets trade agreements in foreign countries without a truly democratic or legal process, you can look no further than South America for answers. Using antiquated laws and the North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA), one of the ‘most hated companies’ in the world has forced its wares into multiple South American countries without considering farmers’ rights, indigenous seed, or food sovereignty for millions of people.

The day that doctors, scientists and health experts have long feared and continually warned about may have arrived, as a mutation discovered in people and livestock in China has been found to make bacteria resistant to all antibiotics – including “last resort” drugs.

SONOMA COUNTY, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Many good reasons exist, other than merely earning money, to be a food farmer, though getting paid is an important benefit. Working outside in nature is good for the body and soul. Nature is a helpful, abundant teacher that can aid humans to develop humility and understand our appropriate roles on this miraculous Earth, rather than damage the environment.

America has a sweet tooth. We eat over 8 tons of sugar derived from different sources every year. For decades farmers provided a myriad of food makers with the sugar they needed without relying on GM sugar beets. But with promises made by Monsanto in 2008 (the year genetically modified sugar beet seeds were introduced), farmers began counting on increased yields and reduced costs. Now they face record low sales as American consumers demand non-GMO food.

Gardening isn’t just for people living on farms or in suburban neighborhoods with sprawling lawns. As more people seek to beautify their urban living environment and grow their own organic food, urban gardens are springing up around cities all over the U.S., and the world.

The UK is facing the biggest dairy crisis for years, with prices slumping to 2003 levels and farms going out of business with alarming regularity. But, as Rin Hamburgh finds, there are several initiatives determined to make the most of milk in a truly sustainable way

By Tracy Frisch As in other parts of North America, beekeepers in New York have been experiencing unsustainable losses of honeybee colonies. In 2014-15, annual colony losses in New York reached 54 per cent, according to the Bee Informed Partnership survey. And though losses were lower in preceding years, they ...

A new report on the impact of deforestation in Africa suggests that integrating more trees and shrubs into farmland could not only benefit the environment, but also improve food security and even reduce the likelihood of people becoming refugees

GM crops reportedly come with increasingly high costs and few benefits, and as a result, many farmers are refusing to plant them.

One of the most recent decisions made by US Department of Agriculture has been branded as controversial and led to numerous disputes and arguments. The USDA decided to give an organic label to produce that is grown in controlled, water-based environments. The decision to label aquaponics and hydroponics as organic has angered a lot of people.